Update from South Wairarapa Council re flooding
SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE:
- Emergency crews are very busy across the region responding to the most severe incidents. Roading inspectors have been out since daybreak covering the roading network as well as focusing on known trouble areas.
- Wastewater and stormwater overflows and surface flooding has been widespread. We are marking some of the worst areas for traffic management but won’t be able to get to everything. Members of the public should drive to conditions and exercise due care.
Some of the work already done:
- We have cleared culverts at Hinekura Road that were causing damage to the new road. Council crew will be back at the site today and are monitoring the area – which has received around 92mm of rain so far. Thanks to local resident Pip Wilkinson for her early warning which meant a quick response was possible.
- Waka Kotahi has closed the Waihenga Bridge and we are watching Ponatahi closely. Oporua spillway will close later today and may be closed for a couple of days. Rivers out of the Tararuas may have peaked, but a lot depends on how much further rain the region receives.
- Wellington Water Limited has received over 100 storm related incidents and is making a prioritised response.
- Wastewater overflows in Featherston are being cleared using sucker trucks.
Council staff and roading teams are active across the network addressing the most serious issues. If you have a weather related issue, please call 06 306 9611 to log it ASAP.
And stay off the roads as much as you can today please.
We understand many of you have need to travel for vaccinations and testing. Should you need to travel, then the road in and out of Martinborough is through Ponatahi to Longbush then to Masterton. Please drive to the conditions and exercise extreme care.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!